What to do with that Sharper Image gift card

When Sharper Image filed bankruptcy last month, thousands of consumers wondered what to do with their gift cards. The San Francisco-based retailer initially suspended honoring an estimated $42.6 million in gift cards and certificates, but last week it said it would accept those cards under certain conditions.

• Redeem the card or certificate at Sharper Image. You can use it only if you spend twice its value. While that may seem unfair, especially if you received the card as a gift, it could be your easiest and least-costly option. The offer might not be valid at the 90 Sharper Image stores that the company plans to close as part of its reorganization plan, about half its outlets. Also, if Sharper Image fails, it won’t be there to honor its return policies or any other rights you may have if a products turns out to be defective.

• Redeem the card or certificate at Brookstone. In this case, you’d receive a 25 percent discount on your entire order if you surrender a Sharper Image gift card, rewards card, gift certificate, or merchandise credit. You won’t get the entire amount of the card or other obligation unless your purchase equals at least four times its value. For example, someone who has $50 on a Sharper Image Gift card would need to purchase $200 in Brookstone merchandise to receive the card’s full benefit. On the other hand, if your purchase exceeds $200, you would end up saving more than the value of your card. Brookstone spokesman Robert Padgett said a Brookstone store in Atlanta sold Sharper Image card holders three $4,500 massage chairs, giving a 25 percent discount on each.

Giorgianni also says you can file a challenge with the credit card issuer if you recently purchased your gift card or certificate using a credit card. It could work, but the credit card company may not buy your claim.

You can also wait out the bankruptcy, but that appears to be the least attractive option, he writes:

For this to work for you, Sharper Image must reorganize successfully and resume honoring its gift cards and merchandise certificates without conditions. In its court filings, the company reported that as of Jan. 31, it had $251.5 million in assets and $199 million in debt. If Sharper Image goes out of business, card and certificate holders will have to line up behind the secured creditors for a piece of the liquidated assets. Typically, consumer creditors receive pennies on the dollar, if anything.